


Cassie's First Christmas

by MelayneSeahawk



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: F/F, LGBT issues, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-12-24
Updated: 2008-12-24
Packaged: 2017-10-08 09:32:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/75283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MelayneSeahawk/pseuds/MelayneSeahawk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>cassie is learning that the tau'ri are weird.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cassie's First Christmas

The Tau'ri, Cassie thinks, have some very strange customs.

She's been on Earth for a few months, but she still doesn't understand them. Mom—her new mom—and Sam take very good care of her, and Jack, Daniel, and Teal'c spoil her, but it seems like sometimes even they forget that she's not from Toronto like she tells her new friends at school.

Which is why, when she comes home from school with questions about this ritual called "Christmas," her new family is struck dumb for a moment before stumbling over explanations. Daniel starts muttering about "pagan roots," but Jack says "That's no fun," and talks instead about presents brought by a fat little man with a cart pulled by strange flying creatures called reindeer.

(The following year, when she's reached the wise age of thirteen, she'll do a little research and confide in Daniel that she doesn't think Santa exists. He'll tell her not to spoil it for Jack, and for years after they'll share a secret smile as he puts out plates piled high with cookies and glasses of milk.)

Mom and Sam take her sledding the first time it really snows, and she teaches them the complex game of tag she and her friends used to play at home—on Hanaka. Her new family gets together to decorate the big tree taking up most of the living room. She's never seen a plant so big inside a house, and she wonders how it stays alive with no soil or sun. Mom and Sam gather dusty boxes filled with crinkly paper and wonderful decorations for the tree—glass balls and bells and strings of light that glow as if by magic and a star for the very top. It's like nothing she's ever seen before. It's beautiful.

On Christmas eve, Cassie's whole family—even George and his daughter and his granddaughters—have a big dinner at Jack's. Jack complains about how Mom takes over his kitchen, but he seems perfectly content to sit in the living room with a beer arguing with Daniel about a strange sport called "hockey." Sam tries to help out, but Cassie's already learned that she doesn't cook, and Mom gives her the easy jobs that don't involve anything that could catch fire.

Dinner is huge and yummy and reminds her of feasts at her old home, though the mashed roots are orange rather than purple and covered with little squishy white candies. Ham, she thinks, is much better than the dry bear steaks, but she still misses the spicy soup her grandmother used to make. Daniel touches her shoulder with warmth in his eyes, and even though he may not know exactly why she's sad, she knows, when she tells him, that he'll help her figure out something similar to that soup. And then they'll teach it to Mom.

After dinner, Grampa George and his girls go home and everyone else gathers in the den, where Jack has a tree that's even bigger than the one at home. He lights a fire and settles on the floor next to Daniel. Cassie and Mom and Sam all squeeze together in the middle of the couch and Teal'c takes the armchair with its pile of pillows. The grown-ups talk about Christmases when they were kids and Cassie watches the flickering lights on the tree. If she lets her eyes go out of focus, they look like stars.

She doesn't realize she's fallen asleep until Mom is gently shaking her awake. Sam and Jack are arguing quietly in the kitchen, Daniel watching tensely. Jack says that it's too late for them to drive home and they're all family here, and it's not like anyone is going to be asking anyone any questions they can't answer. Sam looks at Mom and then agrees they'll stay the night. Jack says this means Santa will have an easier time delivering their presents, and Mom laughs and shepherds Cassie down the hall to brush her teeth.

Daniel digs new toothbrushes out from under the sink and Cassie and Mom and Sam squeeze into the hall bathroom to wash up. Cassie curls up in a pile of blankets on the couch in the den, and she hears Jack say that Daniel will be crashing with him—she hopes Daniel doesn't get hurt banging into anything—and Mom and Sam can share the guest room. Teal'c's rumbling voice announces that he'll use DanielJackson's office to...something. She doesn't recognize the word, and when she asks Jack later, he tells her Teal'c has to check his eyelids for leaks; she doesn't believe him.

She barely remembers Mom's goodnight kiss, and the next time she wakes up, it must be a couple hours later, because the fire's just glowing coals in the hearth and the house is dark and quiet. She's just drifting off again when she hears noises in the hall.

At first, she's sure she's still asleep, because a man dressed in red and white walks into the room. In the dim light, she can see a big sack on his back. He drops it on the floor and starts pulling out brightly colored packages, putting them under the tree.

The man—Santa, it must be Santa! (though he's taller than she'd expected)—stands and puts his hands on his hips with a satisfied "ho ho ho." Cassie can see that he even has the big white beard, just like Jack said. He reaches over to take a cookie from the plate they'd left on the mantle; he doesn't seem to realize she's awake.

She's about to get up and thank him for the gifts when there's another noise. Santa looks up quickly, and Daniel walks into the room. He doesn't seem surprised to see Santa; instead, he laughs very softly and walks over to steal one of Santa's cookies. "You're getting into this," he whispers.

"I'd missed this," Santa says and looks sad. "I used to do it for...."

"I know," Daniel says and, to Cassie's surprise, he hugs Santa. Santa makes a choked sound and hugs him back. "This is going to be the first of many."

They stand there for a long time, and then Santa steps back slightly. He reaches up to touch Daniel's face, and then they kiss. Cassie wonders just what kind of presents Santa brings for the adults.

Daniel pulls back after a minute, smiling and rubbing his face, and Cassie imagines that big beard must tickle. He whispers something in Santa's ear and they start kissing again.

Bored with the grown-up stuff going on, Cassie rolls over very quietly and closes her eyes. And she dreams of spicy soup and flying reindeer and bristly, bearded kisses on her cheek.


End file.
